Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-05-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for Nav
15-The Call Of Moses.


Ni0ianites INDIAN was the son of Abraham
ny Aeturah (Gen %: y, and the progenltor of
the Miulanit-s They are Always spoken of
collectively Us INDIAN, except in three or four
instances. 1t ls supposed that the descendants
OF Hasar and Keturah intermarried. anu that
INDIAN" came to be about equivalent to
Arab" The merchantmen who bought Jo-
seph are called sIshmaelites" and sMd,an-
ties" Gen. ~: 2S). They are supposed to have
dwelt principally in the desert north of the
peninsula OF Arabia, and to have extended
southwark along the eastern shore of the Gulf
OF Eyleh, and northward along the eastern
frontier of Palestine. The GASES in the desert
OF sinai Afforded pasturage for their f1ocks,
IAN"
When Moses fled from Egypt he was hospi-
tably entertained by Keusl, the priest or prince
OF INDIAN, to whose daughters he had shown
hsndness One OF these daughters became
his wife, and hs dwelt with his father law
forty years, keeping his flocks (Ex. q De-
scendang from Abraham, the Midianites must
have had some knowledge Of the true God,
ana tne union in one person of the prince and
priest points to the custom OF the Hebrew
Patrlarchs. At the same time the violence
shown to- Reuels daughters BY etle sleplertls1
(Ex. 2: l7L presumably HIS own people, shows
mat even the respect for prince and priest
i mad wen nigh died out among the Midianites
Ihey were children of the desert, Ishmaeites.
whose hand was against every man. (The Ex-
amlner(
Land Of INDIAN indian was country in
a. Petr9a, deriving its name from Midian,
the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah Il
was situated OH tho south of the Dead Sea and
the land OF Moab, and probably comprehended
the wnole country, as far south rs the Red
sea. l., IL Is at least certain that if the country
OF INDIAN dld not actually reach to Sinai, there
were colonies of the Midianites wuo settled
near that mount, and who also gave the sur
rounding districts the name Of the sLand Of
INDIAN. Among those emigrants who pre-
served the worship of God in comparative
purity when lost among their countrynen in
the north, was Jethro. with whose family
Moses here comes into connection. tBush)
Jcthyo. Also called Raguel (Num. TO- sg
and Reuel lex. 2: 1S. He is thought to have
1 been descendant Of Abraham Gen. IS: p.
very little is known as to the nature or rank
of lis Office 49, --'''@'Ne A'nA
Noses education. No details of the early
III! II, OF Moses are furnished BY the Bible, and
inventions of tradition. His training ain all
the wisdom of the Egyptians" must have fol-
lowed as necessary consequence from his
adoption by Thermon.hs, which itself incor-
porated him into the royal family and into the
Prlestly caste. In what this wisdom consisted
1t ~ not easy to learn, but it must have in
cluded much that was lofty and attractive.
since the wsest of the Greeks-Lycurgus.
Scion, Ihales, Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato,
ana an o5niersGDorrowed from it many OF their
and physics. Geikie, condensed)
Noses shepherd life This both in ts nat
nre and location was splendid discipline for
the great work of his life. No region more
ton Of the Almighty could be found The
grand, sublimely silent mountain world
around. with it's bold, abrupt masses Of gran
,.e greensboro sas, and porphyry, fills the spirit
VIII solemn !i, earnestness. In this sanctuary
vancing purpose Of God had rlpened Israel
for the great movement Of it's deliverance.
Moses was unconsciously preparing for the,
mighty task before him. In those calm years
l4o) every problem to be solved IN the organ
lzation Of people would rise successfully
IN his mind and find its solution; and, above
all, his own soul must have been disciplined
and purified, by isolation from the world and
Closer ana more continual communion with
Wouns Horeo. The names of Horeb and
Sinai are Interchangeable in the Scriptures to
designate the mountain of God" whereou the
law was given to Israel: Horeb is the name
when God spoke to him from the sburning
bush" (Ex: 8: 10. Sinai begins to be used
after the Israelites have arrived before the
mount Ex; 10: !, q; and that the mountain
81: 2, 4, 29, 80; Lev. Z: IS; IS: 1; Mum. 8: /:
%: 6: Deut IS: p. But Horeb is again en-,
ployed in Moses recapitulation Of the wilder
ness Journey peus l: 9. 10y, in several gen
given Deut. 4: 10, Is; S: p, and when men
ton is made Of the worship Of the golden calf
Deut 8: 8. It also occurs in the books of
Kings and Chronicles in connection with
Chs s. 10 to the s ss Psalms Kns s. &
names are used-sinai when the giving of the
law is. mentioned, Horeb when the reference
is to the worship Of the calf FPS. IS: 8, II;
1875: 19). sand while the general identity Of
AsyNoS or,l It'll
ferred from this, the fact that whenever the
intention Of the writer is to give precise and
geographical description Of the place where
the law was given the name of Sinai is em-
p.oyed, leads to the conclusion that the term
than that of Sinai-in other words, that
Horeb was the range. Of which Sinai
was one particular mountain, which only
came prominently out to view when Israel
had arrived q! at the mount Of legislation
is now generally admitted" Horeb was called
sthe mountain of God" doubtless on account
OF the stupendous events associated with it in
the minds of the people of Israel Canon
hand, it is assumed that the spot was pre-
viousy held sacred For this there is no an
ccnt authority; though it has lately been
shown that the whole peninsula was regarded
by the Egyptians as specially consecrated to
the gods from a very early time" It is indeed
a spot we'll fitted to inspire mems minds with
q sense of their own nsignifcance in the sight
of Him who made those awful heights, and
who from their submits proclaimed His law
amid fire, and darkness, and tempes. THE
Examiner.
sEED-TRUTHs AND GEnM-THouGHTs
!. lonely way and humble service may
bring to thu place of God w. ~.
2 Faithful performance of present duty the
condition and preparation for enlarged useful
ness w. H.
3. The least things and persons may be dig
nified, sanctifed, gloritied by the divine pres
ence ". p.
4 Tho duty of turning aside to consider
spiritual truths and facts and claims ". 81
5. God knows every individual by name.
and in every act and thought ". ~.
6. We should have reverent spirit and be
watchful of holy places, times and things w.
-.
Z. Col graciously and tenderly reveals him.
self to those who love and fear him w. g.
s. The greatness of the trouble and peril ia
the measure of the divine compassion and
help Tvs. {, s..
Gods purposes completely control and
override the wicked world ". S)
3D. What honor that man is called to carry
out the purposes of God Tvs 9, 10y.
THERE are 10000 miles of telegraph
wire underground in England and %
600 in Germany. It is said that under
ground wires diminish the sneolv s;r.